Microsoft relaunches its news app to take on Google and Apple’s offerings

MSN was a novel idea when it debuted in 1995, and Microsoft's news efforts now reach more than 500 million people in more than 140 countries and 28 languages. Partnerships with various news outlets means that articles open quickly inside the app when you tap them, and there are all kinds of topics you can scroll through. It'll be the driving force behind MSN.com, the Microsoft Edge start page and the Microsoft News app for iOS and Android. "Today, we share the next step in our evolution".

It's official, Microsoft's MSN News app has officially been renamed to "Microsoft News" on iOS and Android, though the new branding won't replace the decades-old MSN brand. The update also brings a new dark theme, simplified widgets for both the operating systems, a new continuous reading experience, and increased control over breaking news alerts.

Microsoft works with more than a 1,000 "premium publishers" and more than 3,000 news organizations around the world for its news platform. The results are then passed along to a team of more than 800 human editors working across 50 locations, including India, Germany, France, Mexico, Canada, and Spain. These editors use additional algorithms to pair appropriate photos with the content. To that end, signing in with your Microsoft account syncs your news preferences across all the devices you're logged in on. "We're always assessing our network of partners to ensure that we provide the most diverse, credible and well-rounded content available", sait Bennett.